Making border trade easy: The trial run of the GPS-monitored cargo truck Successful

The trial run of the GPS-monitored cargo truck between India and Bangladesh was successful. This paves the way for secure and smooth movement of trucks between borders.

Following the success of the trial run of the GPS-monitored cargo truck between India and Bangladesh, secure and smooth movement of cargo trucks will soon become a reality.

In near future, cargo trucks plying between Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal will be cleared expeditiously as they will be closely monitored through a common GPS protocol and will be sealed electronically.

Senior customs official said that following the success of the trial run, the Union ministries of Finance and Road Transport are now working out the modalities to put the system in place soon.

This new system will ease traffic congestion at the borders and will also make tampering with the cargo impossible.

MOVING TOWARDS CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY

Earlier this month, a new chapter in Customs Cooperation between India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal was opened when cargo-laden truck from Bangladesh carrying readymade garments entered the Customs Inland Container Depot, Patparganj, Delhi. The goods were imported by a multinational readymade garment stores’ chain.

A GPS tracking equipment was attached to the vehicle and the cargo was sealed electronically. This helped in live tracking of the vehicle as it moved from Petrapole to New Delhi, with an alert mechanism to detect any tampering of the cargo container.

This also marks the first step by the Indian Customs towards adopting cutting-edge technology in facilitating and securing transhipment of import cargo. It also represents a milestone in demonstrating the regional value change effect in south Asia with a top multi-national retail chain in India importing goods manufactured in Bangladesh.

FASTER AND CHEAPER MOVEMENT OF GOODS

The exercise was a part of a trial run under a Motor Vehicles Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger and Cargo Vehicular Traffic (MVA) which was signed between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) in Bhutan, on June 15, 2015 by the transport ministers of the four countries.

The MVA allows cargo vehicles registered in any one of the signatory countries to cross borders and enter any of the other three countries, along the agreed routes.

Trial run of the GPS-monitored truck between India & Bangladesh successful

Such seamless movement can help in faster and cheaper movement of goods. As the MVA also covers movement of passenger vehicles, it will improve people-to-people contact and boost tourism. Three countries, including Bangladesh, India and Nepal, have currently ratified the MVA and Bhutan is in the process of completing its ratification formalities.

Before the protocols are finalized, the countries have agreed to conduct trial runs of vehicles, in terms of the MVA. The measure would not only save the countries the trouble of unloading and transferring goods into another truck at the border but also allow the region to fully exploit the potential for integration through trade.